April 2017 Day out with Thomas May 20, 21, 22, 27 & 28
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WCRA NEWS APRIL MAY 20172016 DAY OUT WITH THOMAS MAY 20, 21, 22, 27 & 28 WCRA News, Page 2 ANUUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of the WCRA will be held on Tuesday, March 28 at 1930 hours at Rainbow Creek Station, corner of Willingdon and Penzance in Burnaby. Regular AGM business and some special resolutions will be voted on by the membership. The March General meeting will follow the AGM. Entertainment will be by Don Evans of travels in 2016 as time permits. ON THE COVER Snow like we have never seen before! This scene of the snow at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in early February shows PGE Troop sleeper #714 up to its axles in snow, with only the very tips of the picket fencing visible above the top. Snow reached a depth of three feet at the height of this winter, and the Heritage Park has been under snow continuously since December 10, 2016. (Photo, Gord Bell) APRIL CALENDAR • West Coast Railway Heritage Park open daily 1000 through 1600k . • March 21 to March 23—Celebrate Spring Break Week with Bunker C Bear’s Spring Adventure Zone—kids $19, adults free with the children—see page 10 for details • Friday, April 7—Newsletter deadline for the May 2017 issue • Friday, April 7 / Saturday, April 8—High Tea in the Tearoom, Heritage Park—servings at 12, 2 and 4PM each day, reservations at 604-898-9336 • April 21, 22, 23—Home Show in the CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre • Tuesday, April 25—WCRA General Meeting, 1930 hours, Rainbow Creek Station • April 28—29—Refresh Market, CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre The West Coast Railway Association is an historical group dedicated to the preservation of British Columbia railway history. Membership is open to all people with an interest in railways past and present. We are a non-profit British Columbia society, registered as a Canadian charity. Membership prices are as follows, Please note that GST must be added to all fees: Senior $50 ($52.50), Individual $55 (57.75), Family $65 (68.25) E Members (electronic newsletter only) are $35 ($36.75) Senior, $40 ($42.00) individual and $50 ($52.50) family. Other categories are: - Junior Member (age 18 and under ) $ 30 ($31.50) - Sustaining Member $100 (tax receipt) plus membership type regular fee - Life Membership $700 ($735) individual life / $1,200 ($1,260) family life All memberships include the monthly newsletter, Heritage Park admission (except Special Events), mini rail rides and discounts on food and merchandise. The Association holds a monthly meeting on the last Tuesday of the month at 1930 hours in Burnaby at Rainbow Creek Station in Confederation Park. Apply through www.wcra.org or mail to WCRA, PO Box 2790 Stn. Term., Vancouver, B.C., V6B 3X2. WCRA News, Page 3 EDITORIAL WILL IT EVER END? As we go to press the weather is, well snowing…...and we are approaching March 15! At the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, efforts are underway to get back to normal, but it is still a work in progress. Another 15 cm of snow this past weekend, and here it is—March 9th—and it is snowing again. The West Coast Mini Rail will remain closed for some time yet—as the tracks are still buried under the snow—so no outdoor mini rail for Spring Break week for the first time ever. Who ever was it that said those famous words…..”Let It Snow”……..sorry, but for this writer, enough already! Don ASSOCIATION NEWS FROM THE FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING Chair Jeremy Davy called the meeting to order at 19:37K with 18 voting members, 2 spouses, 1 staff and 3 guests. A quorum was not present. MEMORIAM SILENCE – A minute of silence was held in memory of Herb Dixon . He was president of the Alberta Railway Museum and involved there for 25 years guiding it from a train club to a full-fledged museum. COMMITTEE REPORTS PRESIDENT – Ken Tanner Thanks first to Craig McDowall for stepping in to assume the president’s role as Ken focused on donations and finances. Craig managed Thomas, the summer season and fall events as well as Polar Express. This allowed for the more focused management of the donation situation and debentures. With Ken now back in the president’s role the focus is on: managing cash flow, get the 2016 books in order, renewing the mortgage, purchase of MP2, and launching of Thomas for 2017. FUNDRAISING – Ken Tanner A slow month for raising funds so the priority was the work required to keep our mortgage in place, manage the other financial issues, and prepare financial statements for the AGM. FINANCE – Ken Tanner A net income summary was presented showing -$3,000 for 2016 vs -$93,000 for 2015. The WCRA News, Page 4 net income after G&A allocation for Polar Express was $101,000. The board has approved a 2017 budget showing revenue of $2.2 million vs expenses of $1.35 million which, after G&A, will leave a deficit of $36,000. Details will be presented at the AGM on March 28 HERITAGE PARK OPERATIONS and ADMINISTRATION– Gordon Bell During February, we continued to fight the snow but did manage one wedding and a movie shoot. Well done Gordon and team! The park is currently seeking people for the following positions: Volunteer Coordinator, Locomotive Mechanic. Volunteers are sought for educational fieldtrips and daily summer tours for the Blacksmith shop, printing press and general interpretation. In celebration of Canada 150 the park will be offering interpretive tours as well as 50% discounted admissions. LOCOMOTIVE 374 – George Game Daily admission numbers are slowly rising as the weather improves. Events on May 21 st and July 1 st will involve the moving of the locomotive into the turntable plaza complete with celebrations and festivities. COLLECTION – Bill Marchant reported little progress with BCE960 due to weather and shop conditions. OTHER BUSINESS – Nominations for one WCRA elected board member were held in January. George Game was nominated as was Matthew Robson . Barring any last-minute changes an election will be held to choose the member. An election committee has been struck to manage the logistics. NEW BUSINESS – A notice of Annual General Meeting was declared for March 28 th at Rainbow Creek Station, 7:30 PM. EVENTS CALENDAR – The calendar was read. Details available in the newsletter. Western Rails will be held March 19 th with set-up on the 18 th at the Cameron Recreation Centre. Volunteers are needed. Jeremy requested all interested volunteers to signup at this meeting. TRACKSIDE REPORTS – Ryan Cruickshank gave a show and tell with a Lionel UP M10000 O-27 passenger train set. He also had a 2003 version of the same set in original packaging. Bill Marchant filled us in on recent events in the industry. ENTERTAINMENT – A slide show Bridges, Tunnels and Trains from the Doug Battrum collection was shown to the delight of all, thanks to Bill Marchant WCRA News, Page 5 PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP If your label reads 02/28/2016 then your membership has expired, if your label reads 11/30/2016 then this is your last issue. If you are an electronic news subscriber, please watch for an email noting pending membership expiry. Please renew—we need you all as members if we are to continue to be able to preserve British Columbia’s railway heritage. (J.D.) NEW MEMBERS We welcome to membership: • Simon Cornwallace of Vancouver; • Melissa Harper and Family of Squamish; • Derek Hayes of White Rock; • Ed Robertson and Family of Brackendale; • Keith Stall and Family of Langley; • Rachel Wiersma and Family of Burnaby; • Teri Worth and Family of North Vancouver; • Nicole Young & Peter Jensen and Family of Whistler We welcome back to membership…. • Jan Easton of West Vancouver; • John Kyle of Salt Spring Island; • Robert MacBeth of Brackendale; • Robert Mearns and Family of North Vancouver (J.D.) HERB DIXON PASSES We are sad to report that Herb Dixon , long time driver behind the Alberta Railway Museum, passed away suddenly on February 7, 2017. Herb was well known to many of us in the railway preservation field in Canada, and will be missed by us all. EVELYN (EVIE) ATKINSON We are also sad to report this month on the passing February 2, 2017 of long time member and the driving force behind the preservation of CPR 374, Evelyn Atkinson . Evie was a vocal and active supporter on behalf the preservation of the historic loco, founding the Friends of the 374 Society and helping raise over $500,000 back before Expo 86 to restore the locomotive, and then forming the 374 Station Society to care for it after the World’s Fair. The latter group ultimately merged into WCRA in 2006—and WCRA looks after locomotive 374 to this day. Evie received many awards over the years, the most precious one being her naming to The Order of Canada in 1996. WCRA News, Page 6 PRESIDENT & CEO SOUGHT FOR WCRA Applications have been coming in for the position of President & CEO of WCRA—the position closes March 31 and interviewing will start after that. Applications / Expressions of Interest in this position are only accepted at [email protected] Further information will be provided to qualifying candidates. NOMINATIONS FOR BOARD POSITION Nominations were opened at the January General Meeting for one elected director position on the WCRA Board of Directors. Director George Game is ending his first three year term on the board and he was nominated for a second term of three years. Nominated from the floor was member Matthew Robson so we had two candidates for this single position.